Over 100 Japanese Firework Illustrations
Six catalogues dating from the late 19th century, digitised and made available online, compile a multitude of illustrations of fireworks.
Illustrated catalogue of day light. Courtesy of Yokohama City Central Library
Six catalogues dating from the late 19th century have been digitised and made available online and feature a multitude of sparkling firework illustrations. The burgeoning fireworks industry, determined to find its place in the foreign market, had to find a way to share its products despite the language barrier. Although over one hundred products were available, the language barrier made it impossible to describe the beauty and diversity of the fireworks. Illustrations were the appropriate solution to represent these luminous works of art. First used for commercial purposes, the catalogues are now perused purely for the pleasure of admiring the multitude of shapes born from the imagination of pyrotechnists.
Illustrated catalogue of garden & lawn pieces of the Hirayama Fireworks. Courtesy of Yokohama City Central Library
Illustrated catalogue of night bomb shells. Courtesy of Yokohama City Central Library
Illustrated catalogue of day light bomb shells. Courtesy of Yokohama City Central Library
Illustrated catalogue of day light. Courtesy of Yokohama City Central Library
Illustrated catalogue of day light. Courtesy of Yokohama City Central Library
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